It's all good so far

Breakfast fortification before we start the wine tour. The Alexis Baking Company is just a few short blocks from the hotel.

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary. We shopped the Oxbow Market. Lunched quickly at a tavern across from the hotel so we could make our next appointment, a hot stone couples massage. My masseuse had quite a workout to move and remove knots and lactic acid. Perhaps we can cut back on the Child’s college funding to put this into our monthly routine.

Dressed and ready for dinner. We enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine waiting for the driver. Choosing a driver over playing taxi roulette or driving the DWI gauntlet was an easy decision.

Our driver was also a tour guide able to discuss history, geology, and the development of the valley and the industry. It was a short trip up to Yountville, the center of the Napa foodie universe. Three Michelin starred restaurants, one per thousand residents of the town.

We saw the French Laundry, and its acres of organic garden as we did a very quick drive through town. Maybe on our 30th ….

Bouchon is not as large as I thought it would be. A couple of outdoor seating areas. One right on the street and one that shares space with the bakery.

One large room with a bar taking up at least a quarter of it. The host greeted us and we where shown our table. It must be a requirement in bistro design to have common bench seating around the walls. We were seated right between two other parties with just enough space between the tables for the waiter to enter sideways.

More complementary sparkling wine then time to study the menu and listen to the specials. Hors-d’oeuvres ordered. A pâté, crostini, etc. then deciding on the entrees and the wine.

A Paul Hobb Pinot recommended by the waiter

Then the food.

While the entrees were very good, the hit of the dinner was the truffle risotto. Wow.

It was a valiant effort, we finished what we could leaving just enough room for dessert. Their special, brownie with cherries, and Chantilly ice cream.

Finally we called it quits and settled up. That is the meal of the year.

One thing that we have noticed on this trip is the high level of customer service we are encountering regardless of who we are dealing with.

The young man at the olive oil shop at Ghiradelli Square, who kept his sense of humor inspire of having to take three tries to seal a very small bottle of white truffle olive oil.

The desk clerk at the small hotel in San Francisco working with us to hold luggage and extend the valet parking so we could do our tour of the wharf and then offered a much needed chance to recover after the climb up Mount Powell to the hotel.

The random bakery hostess at Boudin on the wharf encouraging us to pick up one of the sourdough teddy bears, just because they needed to be held, since do many depart the bakery to be eaten.

The concierge at the Andaz in Napa, who arranged to get some really nice flowers for me to surprise Sandra with.

The waitress at ZuZu’s the Tapas Restaurant in Napa who worked with the tapas rookies and made some excellent and tasty recommendations.

The folks at the coffee shop that made recommendations for a more substantial breakfast for my protein junkie wife who woke up this morning with a serious scrambled egg jones.

The folks at the Oxbow Market for restoring my wife with a scrambled egg crepe fix.

These folks have kept the caring in their work. Maybe I am just not looking hard enough back in the world, and anticipate apathy. Perhaps we need to all take a little time to reflect on whether or not we are working at a job or in our vocation.

Perhaps we also need to realize that we might be dealing with someone new to a position and work with them to see that things work out rather than taking an issue as a personal affront.

Taking away another reminder that those I have met in the Golden State are living by the Golden Rule. Maybe I should try harder too.

In the terminal after a second semi-sleepless night. Friday night can be blamed on the sleep study, while we are blaming last night on the Christmas like anticipation of this trip.

It has been some journey getting to this point. With the downturn in the oil business hitting hard right after our wedding, Sandra and I have never had more than a weekend vacation by ourselves. Most of our trips to the lake house have involved multiple sibling families or scouts.

We don’t begrudge the scouting trips. But now it is time for us. And we are going to do it right. A week of wining and dining in Napa awaits.

One of the stops still up the hill.

Cable cars require gravity and inclines to move.  This means hills.  Lots of hills.  We found them getting to and from the cable cars.  You walk to a stop, the full cable car comes by, you notice the next stop, lower down the hill, you debate realizing that each stop you move down closer to the turn around, but you are putting more hills back up on the return to the hotel.

Down you go, finally to the turnabout near Union Square, and you realize much to your dismay:

1.  Everyone has had this idea.

2.  It is going to be 45 minutes to wait in line

3.  You see those hills you have to climb back up.

So you strike up a conversation with the couple in front of you.  You figure out final destinations etc, and you get on board.  Now you have a conductor that has no desire to turn anyone away.  People keep coming on board every stop.  Although you secured a seat,  it is so crowded that you can’t even get up to offer it to someone else.  The one bit of chivalry you manage is to let a nice lady give you her backpack to hold instead of having it pressed in your face.

So you bounce and toss around.  You try to look at the scenery when you can move you head but as tightly wedged you can’t move much.  Sights include the nice lady with the backpack’s midriff, or if you can see over the urchin politely sitting next to you, you see folks holding camera’s and/or Iphones/Ipad doing all sorts of contortions to record the moment.

You finally make it down to the end of the line. You walk a block and see the shoreline of the bay.  You do touristy things, buy the chocolate, eat seafood and take a few pictures.  You walk a couple of flat blocks back to the returning cable car and hop on it like a pro.  You even get off at a stop at Union Square to do some shopping.  You have this cable car thing down.

Our Sherpa

You have been distracted enough to forget about the hills back to the hotel.  You get a sudden and very real reminder that back home you live in a very flat place.  You will remember the San Francisco hills or at least your calves will.